


Afterlife

by MrProphet



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 16:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10700706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrProphet/pseuds/MrProphet





	Afterlife

They were clear of the blast radius when Black Mesa went up. Simmons happened to be looking back and was blinded by the flash and Barney himself caught the reflection in the rear-view mirror, losing the sight in one eye for several hours. The engine of the SUV died suddenly.

“What the hell was that?” Barney demanded.

“A thermonuclear blast,” Dr Rosenberg replied. “It looks as though someone is cleaning house.”

“I guess the government got all they wanted from Black Mesa,” Walter groused. “If only they’d listened…”

“They didn’t want to listen,” Rosenberg reminded him. “They wanted results at any cost. Well, now that have their results; and it turns out that we were the cost. They must already have removed all of the teleportation technology that they wanted; now they want to make sure no-one else can get hold of it. We’re lucky we got out in time.”

“We’re lucky we were able to activate the teleporter to reach the outer perimeter. No-one could have got out of the blast radius; not even the military.”

“It’s a cutthroat business,” Rosenberg pointed out.

Barney shook his head. “Are we walking from here?”

“Not at all,” Simmons said. “The car should start again now.”

“But you might want to wait until your vision returns,” Walter added. “I don’t think either of you has any nerve or retina damage.”

“Hate to argue with you, Doc,” Barney said, “but I’m seeing an awful lot of white blobs of light.”

“Ah,” Walter hedged.

“I’m afraid we’re all seeing those,” Rosenberg admitted. “They look like… teleportation portals, opening all across the desert. Almost as if… but no; that’s just not possible.”

“Doc, I’ve been around Black Mesa long enough to know a) that nothing is not possible, and b) that saying that something is not possible is a bad way of dealing with it,” Barney said.

A column of light stabbed down from the nearest portal, dancing across the desert and leaving a trail of dark, purplish-green vegetation behind them. A large cactus disappeared, to be replaced by a three-legged puffball.

A cougar leaped out of the rocks and began to sprint across the desert, but a trailing rod of light caught the cat and it vanished. A heavy-set, bipedal, tentacled creature appeared in its place and began to lope across the changing landscape.

“I suggest that we do not wait,” Walter said. “Mr Calhoun.”

“Way ahead of you,” Barney assured him. “Let’s burn some rubber.”


End file.
